Spring practice review: Defensive line

Looking back at what we learned this spring at each position, and what remains to be learned come fall.

DEFENSIVE LINE

WHAT WE KNEW: The Ducks returned a very strong group, and that was despite the loss of starting defensive tackle Isaac Remington. Veteran backup nose guard Ricky Havili-Heimuli would be quite capable of shifting over to D tackle to give the Ducks three senior starters, alongside underrated nose guard Wade Keliikipi and emerging star Taylor Hart, who led the Ducks in sacks last season. Behind them were three sophomores who played extensively last season, led by Arik Armstead and the very underrated DeForest Buckner, who played all year long, and including nose guard Alex Balducci, who was pulled out of his redshirt in November after a series of injuries up front. The depth chart also included Jared Ebert coming off an aborted junior season in which he blew out his knee in the opening game; JC transfer Stetzon Bair coming off his redshirt year; and some other backups with limited game experience in Sam Kamp, Ryan Hagen and David Kafovalu.

WHAT WE LEARNED: For starters, that the Ducks practiced this spring without two of their 11 linemen, due to injuries for Havili-Heimuli (back) and Hagen (knee). But one man's absence is another's opportunity, of course, and Armstead moved up to the first-string defense for the spring game, and is looking like a potential breakout star in 2013. Ebert also played in the spring game, after a quick recovery from his knee injury, and Bair used the month to get familiar with all three positions; he practiced at D tackle while redshirting, moved to nose guard in April and even played some end during the month to provide some depth there. Thus, an already incredibly deep UO defensive line groomed even more possible contributors for 2013.

WHAT NOW?: No recruits are expected to join this group in the fall, but the Ducks are set up to be very strong up front in both 2013 and even 2014, when they'll lose this year's projected starters. Some consider this the strongest position group on the team, and while the front-line talent might be better elsewhere (for instance, quarterback), it's hard to match the D line's mix of experience, talent and depth. A year ago the Ducks learned how tough the trenches can be when almost the entire two-deep was injured for the Cal game, forcing Balducci into action. But in 2013, the UO defensive line is built to sustain a similar string of misfortune, and to really thrive if it stays healthy.

PRE-SPRING HYPOTHETICALS

The Ducks will feel good entering the summer if: The veterans get through unscathed and enter the summer completely healthy, and the young guys further their development with ample reps.

The Ducks will have reason to worry this summer if: There's enough depth to weather an injury or two, so this figures to be a position of strength no matter what transpires in April.

The verdict: Pretty positive. Yes, Havili-Heimuli didn't practice, and with a new position coach on hand in Ron Aiken, working relationships needed to be formed. But the Ducks know what Havili-Heimuli can do, and now they have a much better sense of what some of the third-string guys can bring, too.

A note on terminology: If you accept, as I do, that Oregon plays a 3-4 defense with two outside linebackers (the "drop end" now being called an OLB) then it probably looks funny to see only one defensive end listed above; you'd expect to see a nose guard and two ends. First off, the terminology above is how the Ducks label the three positions on the line. And while I'm no X-and-O guy at all, I've gathered that the defensive tackle spot does have more interior responsibilities than the defensive end spot. Any position title is an oversimplification in Oregon's defense; every position has multiple responsibilities that can change based on what the offense does. But that's my general sense of how and why things are labeled on the line. Anyone with more X-and-O savvy is more than welcome to offer additional input.